1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible shade structures and specifically to collapsible or folding tents. The shade structure of the present invention provides an integral structure capable of supporting itself to act as a shelter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art collapsible shade structures have suffered from several drawbacks. One drawback with such collapsible shade structures is the difficulty associated with erecting and stably supporting such structures. Another drawback associated with these prior art collapsible shade structures is that the construction of such structures tends to be complicated and bulky. As a result, such structures are expensive to manufacture and are troublesome to fold away and to store.
A further drawback of such prior art collapsible shade structures is that the frame structure itself tends to be weak even after it has been erected, and often requires other means to provide the required structural integrity. Examples of such structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,990,463 and 3,960,161, both of which disclose collapsible shelters each having a flexible and coilable frame member secured to the fabric of the structure and held in a "figure-eight" configuration. Tie members secured to portions of the fabric are required to stabilize the frame and to hold the frame and the remainder of the structure upright because the frame member alone cannot accomplish this.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,812, which discloses a collapsible shelter in which the frame members as configured cannot hold the side panels together because the side panels tend to stretch outwardly. Hence, a floor member or straps are required to hold the side panels together.
The various existing collapsible shade structures have not been successful in providing a simple structure which is inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to erect, and may be easily folded to a compact size, in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself. The present invention, therefore, provides for an improvement over the prior art collapsible shade structures and provides a collapsible shade structure with a novel frame structure in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself, and which also allows the collapsible shade structure to be of simple construction, to be easily erected and to be easily folded to a compact size. The present invention further includes improvements to the retention of the frame members which make the structure easier and less expensive to manufacture, and easier to operate.